An important element of this expedition is the participation of the Armed Forces, with 16 military experts from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Carabinieri. These military specialists will assist the researchers throughout the expedition, providing support in various activities, including field campaigns, naval and underwater activities, helicopter and aircraft operations, weather forecasting, and completing the landing strip on land. The Italian Air Force will ensure connections between Christchurch (New Zealand) and the Italian base "Zucchelli" and the US base in McMurdo, transporting materials, equipment, and personnel.
In addition to the "Mario Zucchelli" base, research activities will also take place at the Italian-French station Concordia and aboard the icebreaker ship Laura Bassi. The expedition will circumnavigate the entire Ross Sea and conclude its Antarctic mission after 60 days in March 2024.
Furthermore, the new summer research season will commence at Concordia, situated on the Antarctic plateau at an altitude of over 3,000 meters and 1,200 kilometers from the coast. This season will involve 52 participants, including technicians and researchers. From February 2024, after the closure of the 2023/2024 summer campaign, activities will be managed by a new team of overwinterers, composed of 13 members (5 Italians, 7 French, and 1 Swiss). These overwinterers will remain in complete isolation until November 2024 due to the extreme temperatures that render the base inaccessible.
On November 15, the Little Dome C field camp, located 35 kilometers from Concordia, will be opened. This camp will be the site for activities related to the international project "Beyond Epica Oldest Ice." This project is funded by the European Commission and coordinated by the Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council (Cnr-Isp), with participation from ENEA and Ca' Foscari University of Venice for Italy. At the Little Dome C camp, researchers will conduct ice coring operations to extract data on the evolution of temperatures and atmospheric composition, reaching back in time 1.5 million years.
